A Tale Of Two Mountains: Hearing God Through Hebrews 12
Heb 12:18-24 Mar 11, 2007 (3rd week of Lent)
Intro:
Do you ever feel afraid to come to God?
Maybe it is because we are afraid of punishment – we are aware of some place that we have messed up, something we’ve done that was wrong, something we knew we should have done and didn’t. And we feel ashamed. We feel unworthy. We feel sure, way down in the deep depths of our souls, that God is angry and disappointed and is going to punish us severely for our terrible crime.
Or maybe we feel afraid to come to God because we have a vivid picture of who God is that is full of incredible power. Terrifying might. Overwhelming strength. You know, the kind of power that scares us because a tiny glance in our direction could completely wipe us out. We want to stay far away, because it doesn’t feel safe to be close to that kind of power.
How about a fear of coming to God because we believe we don’t belong. We’ll be outsiders. We’ll come to this place where there will be a whole group of people who know this whole set of unwritten rules, and we won’t know them, and we’ll feel alienated. We won’t know how to act, how to talk, how to belong. And maybe besides, a lot of the people we’ve been exposed to who seem to be close to God are a bunch of wierdos that we really don’t want to be like!
Or perhaps we are afraid to come to God because we think that if we listen, He will make us stop doing all the things we like, and force us to do a whole bunch of things that we really won’t like.
Those four fears correspond to four misconceptions about who God is. The first, the fear of punishment, comes from an image of God as an angry judge. The second misconception, that of God as a terrifying power, comes from an image of God like a destructive tidal wave. The fear of not belonging comes from an image of God as an exclusive party host, and of church as some strange secret society where people like us with problems and messed up lives don’t belong. The last fear, of God making us stop everything we enjoy and do things that will make us miserable, comes from an image of God as a galactic party pooper.
Misconceptions with roots in reality…
I can understand how we get to those misconceptions. There is a little bit of truth in them, but that little bit of truth has become stretched so that the end result is an image of God that keeps us away from Him, rather than something that draws us closer.
The image of God as an angry judge: well, God is a judge. It says so in the passage we are going to read in a moment. But He is not an angry judge, He is not sitting high and aloof waiting to dole out punishment on transgressors, He does not delight in our suffering. On the contrary, the pardon He grants sets us completely free, and that is why He so deeply wants us to come to Him.
The image of God as terrifying power: well, God is all powerful, full of might and strength. But God’s power is not against us, is not out to destroy us, does not wish to terrify us and keep us away. Instead, God’s power is for us! “If God is for us, who can stand against us?” (Rom 8:31).
The image of God as head of an exclusive party to which we don’t belong: well, God is the head of a party, but it is not an exclusive party thrown only for insiders! All of us who come to God will be welcomed.
The image of God as a galactic party pooper: well, God does command us to do and not do certain things, but they are all to make the party better, not to end it! Jesus’ first miracle was done to keep a party going – the miracle at the wedding where Jesus turned water into wine kept the celebration going. Everything God commands is all for our best joy.
So, come to God the judge to find pardon and freedom. Come to the God of power that is for you, not against you. Come to God’s party and be welcomed as a child of the host. Come to the God who shows us what things to avoid and what to embrace so that your life will be most full of good things.
Heb 12:18-21
We are not the first group of people to struggle with misconceptions about who God is that keep us away from Him instead of drawing us close. The author of Hebrews noticed this also, and wrote about it in Hebrews 12. First is a description of the misconception:
“18 You have not come to a physical mountain, to a place of flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind, as the Israelites did at Mount Sinai. 19 For they heard an awesome trumpet blast and a voice so terrible that they begged God to stop speaking. 20 They staggered back under God’s command: “If even an animal touches the mountain, it must be stoned to death.” 21 Moses himself was so frightened at the sight that he said, “I am terrified and trembling.”
Do you see those same misconceptions? The angry God? The terrifying power? The exclusive? The demanding kill joy? The sum total is that people stayed away, they begged God to stop speaking, they staggered back under God’s command. Even Moses, who spoke with God face to face, was terrified and trembling. Now, there are some good reasons why God chose to reveal Himself like this at this point in the nation of Israel’s history, which I’ll leave for you to think about. But the passage tells us the direct consequence was that the people stayed away.
As we look at this passage, it is easy for us to get captured by the truths and then have those truths extended to a place where we don’t want to approach. This particular mountain sounds like a scary place! – flaming fire, darkness, gloom, and whirlwind. Who wants to cozy up to that? That is why the most important part of this passage is the first four words: “you have not come” to this place. This mountain, the scary one, Mount Sinai at the time of Moses, is not the one we are invited to. Things are different now, we do not need to run from an angry judge, hide from a terrifying power, stay home from an exclusive party, or worry about following a bunch of commands that bring death. Things have changed, things are different now for us. That is where the passage takes us next.
Heb 12:22-24
“22 No, you have come to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. 23 You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. 24 You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks of forgiveness instead of crying out for vengeance like the blood of Abel.”
How does that mountain sound? Let’s take a closer look:
Mount Zion:
I’ve been talking a lot about the Kingdom of God – how it is the place where Jesus reigns as King. It is around us, in us, and above us. While it touches our physical lives, it is still a spiritual Kingdom. The “mountain” in this part of Hebrews 12 is another way of saying “the Kingdom of God”, and what follows is a description of what it is like.
The passage calls it “the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem.” The emphasis here is on the presence of God, and the whole direction of the passage is how wonderful this is. It isn’t the architecture, it isn’t the activity, it isn’t the streets paved with gold and the trees always in bloom. What makes this so wonderful is that God dwells here. God reigns here. Everything good, pleasurable, life-giving, is at its fullest and best.
Who is there?
When I used to work in youth ministry, I was constantly planning events and then inviting teens to attend. Can you guess what question almost always followed the “what are we doing for youth group this week?” Regularly, the very next question was “who is going to be there?” That’s a good question to take to the passage.
The author paints some detail into the picture. “Countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering”. Unlike the previous, scary mountain, this one is a party. Note the type of gathering – doesn’t that sound like a party to you? It certainly does to me! Who is going to be there? Countless thousands of angels throwing a massive party.
Anyone else? “You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven.” Who are God’s “firstborn children”? That would be you and me. This party is not just a bunch of angelic beings, but it is full of people just like you and me, who have been born into God’s family, who are not yet dead and part of the group in heaven but who are on our way, which is the part about our “names written in heaven”. The word “assembly” is the same word usually translated “church”.
There is an important application here. We, the church, here and now on the earth, are a part of this “second mountain” experience which is so much better than the first. So we had better reflect this same atmosphere! When people come, we should be the kind of place that this passage describes – of joy, and welcome, and forgiveness, and celebration. That is why we use the word “Festival” to describe our vision of worship – because that is sure what it sounds like here.
So we have some angels, we have each other; God is here also. He is identified here as “judge”, but the feeling is far different. On the first mountain, the feeling was of fear of the punishment and power of the judge, but here the atmosphere is completely different. God is part of the celebration – overseeing it, protecting it, keeping it good and safe. I read “God the judge over all things” and am reassured of His power and His control over everything.
The guest list isn’t finished yet. There is another group of people, those men and women who have died and been “made perfect”. Among others, our Christian friends and loved ones who have died are part of the festival, they are joining the celebration.
And finally, for me the climax: “You have come to Jesus”. We aren’t afraid in the presence of the judge, because we have come to Jesus. We aren’t freaked out by the angels, or by the other Christians (both those alive now and those who have died and gone before us), because we are here with Jesus. He is the reason. He is the “go-between”, or mediator. Jesus is our entrance ticket, our guide, our interpreter, our host – Jesus makes it right that we are there. Remember the misconception of God as the host of an exclusive party in which we feel uncomfortable and left out? Here is where that is busted wide open – Jesus brings us in. Jesus shows us around. Jesus introduces us to the Father, the angels, the other Christians, Jesus takes care of us.
If we accept His invitation.
Which Mountain Are You Living On?
This is the third Sunday of Lent. Easter is only a few more weeks away, and we are preparing for that most important season by seeking to hear God’s heart. As I read this passage, I hear God’s heart saying, “Come! Be with me! Embrace, Enjoy, Engage!!” I hear God saying, “Do not be afraid and thus keep a distance between us, come close, join the party, let Me pardon you, let Me use My power for good in and through you, let Me bring you into a group of people that will love and accept you, let My commands fill your life with joy.”
And so I ask you this: which mountain are you hanging around? One full of misconceptions about God that keep you far away, or one that draws you irresistibly closer by the very nature of its goodness? Are you close to God or far away?
Can you imagine with me for a moment what our lives would look like if they reflected the Kingdom of God as described in this passage? What would your home look like? What would our church look like? What would your workplace or school look like if our lives more clearly reflected Mount Zion instead of Mount Sinai?
I think we would have a lot more joy. A lot more radiance. I think we would be a lot more enticing to people who don’t know the freedom that Jesus brings. I don’t think all our problems would be magically solved, our sufferings instantly ended, our struggles suddenly evaporated, I think there would be something better: our problems would be met with creative energy to find God-pleasing solutions. Our sufferings would be endured with grace and with an acceptance that these good sufferings are helping us become more like Jesus. Our struggles would be faced head on with all the strength and power of the Kingdom of God, and we would overcome.
It all starts with coming to the right mountain. Choosing to be close to God. Accepting His invitation to a living, daily, interactive relationship with Him
I asked you a moment ago to think about which mountain you are closer to, now I want to challenge you to action. Where do you want to go? If you’ve been at the wrong mountain, looking towards a terrifying God, will you turn around? Come close? Throw out misconceptions that keep you far away, and approach? We do that mostly through prayer – through time spent in talking with Jesus, and seeking to listen to Him.
Or maybe you are closer to the second mountain, but still on the outside. The invitation has been given, Jesus’ hand is open and reaching out to yours, because He wants to lead you back into the party. Please, enter in. The party is much better inside.
Perhaps you’ve been in, you’ve seen and felt and known the goodness, but you’ve wandered outside. You felt close before, but life and decisions and other things have combined to push you out the door and now as I speak and read this passage you are remembering what it was like before, and if you can go back. Well you can. You are still welcome. In fact, the Holy Spirit is waiting to fill you and renew you and restore you.
As we close in prayer, come with me to Mount Zion, the city of the living God, and then choose to stay.
